Leek and Pancetta Risotto with Egg Recipe

Risottos are one of those things that you have to baby and cook with some love if you want to do it properly. Some people don’t believe in the constant stirring but I really think it makes a difference. The stirring helps release starch from the rice, providing for a creamier risotto. Besides, I find the stirring rather meditative and really, there just aren’t enough forms of meditation that lets you do taste tests.

Even though it’s creamy, this risotto isn’t too heavy on the palate so the luscious egg yolk is a perfect addition for that extra oomph. You’ll love seeing your guests’ eyes glimmer when they cut open that egg and watch the golden awesomeness pour out!

Which camp are you in? The risotto-stiring camp? or the hands-off risotto camp?

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and cook pancetta until brown around the edges. Retaining most of the oil in the pan, remove pancetta from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to drain off the excess fat off.

Add leeks to the pan and cook until softened but not brown, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Set approximately 1/4 cup of the leeks aside as a garnish while keeping the rest of the keeps in the pan.

Add rice to the pan and stir for about 2 minutes.

Add wine and stir until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of warm broth to the rice and stir until it is absorbed. repeat with 1/2 a cup of warm broth each time, constantly stirring and adding more only when the last batch has been absorbed. When you have used up all the broth, the rice should be creamy with a little bite to it, keep tasting to check for the correct texture.

When you have about a cup of broth left in the pot, heat up a about 1 1/2 inch of water in another large saucepan on high heat for the poached eggs and break an egg into a small clean bowl.

When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and pour in the white vinegar. You goal is for the water to be hot but to limit turbulence (water bubbles) so the egg can cook relatively undisturbed. Visually divide the pan into four quarters and very gently drop the egg from the bowl into the first quarter. Start cracking a second egg into the bowl and drop it into the second quarter so the eggs are not touching. Repeat with the rest of the eggs. Leave to cook for 3-4 minutes.

Back to the risotto, mix in half of the pancetta, leaving the other half as a garnish. Add butter and cheese and stir to mix. Adjust seasoning. Divide into four serving dishes.

When the eggs are ready, scoop them out and gently place them on top of each dish, top with reserved pancetta and leeks.

Tips:

Right before I put my egg into the water, I try to create a small whirlpool with a chopstick at the spot where I plan to drop my egg so that the egg white wraps around the yolk rather than spread out.

When it comes to poaching eggs, the fresher the egg, the better because the whites spreads out less.

I LOVE risotto. It’s probably one of my favorite foods of all time. I am one of those stirrers. I baby my risotto but it’s just how I learned to do it and how it works for me! I love coming up with new flavor combinations!